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14 July, 2003
Banzai, My Ass
I know there are people out there who think Asians are just being whiney, over-sensitive and overly politically correct when we complain about Asian stereotypes that are perpetuated.
 The regular cast of "Banzai!" |
I know there are people out there who ask, "c'mon, can't you take a joke?" and think we should get a grip, relax, just laugh along and grow a sense of humor.
But when ugly, demeaning representations of Asians are constantly shoved in our face in the name of "humor," it's hard to swallow. And especially when those representations are as offensive as the ones featured in the new Fox network TV show, "Banzai!"
The show, which airs on Sunday nights at 7:30 pm in Denver, premiered last night but it's not new to television. It's been a big hit in England, where the social norms and sense of humor are obviously different (I won't judge them because I'm frankly not British even though I know there's as much racism and prejudice there as in the US). And the USA Network on cable tried foisting the program on Americans already, with no success.
But Fox bought the idea and the footage from its UK creators, taken out some of the segments the network thought would truly offend US audiences (they must have been doozies) and adapted some more American elements, including bits that feature US celebrities. The network has also decided to spotlight the series on its Web site, and include an interactive element so that viewers can go online and "bet" on the outcome of skits.
What is this show?
"Banzai!" purports to be a spoof of Japan's obsession with extreme game shows, where people are asked to do wacky stuff and humiliate themselves for the audiences ' entertainment (I won't judge Japanese TV here either). In "Banzai!," an Obnoxious Announcer with a heavy Japanese accent (but who is very Westernized as far as his grammar and vocabulary are concerned) shouts along as the show jumps from one stupid segment to another.
One part of the premiere showed two Japanese men in scientists' lab coats tie helium-filled balloons to a chicken while the Obnoxious Announcer screamed at viewers to guess how many balloons it would take to make the chicken float off. This one got animal rights activists in a frenzy, even though the chicken was tethered so it could be brought back to earth after filming. Yes, the show states often, "Do not try this at home" but you never know….
 Is this funny, or just stupid? Grannies in wheelchairs playing "chicken" for the camera. |
Another segment pitted a one-legged soccer player against a one-armed goalie in a best-of-three shootout; another had two wheelchair-bound elderly women in a game of "chicken" as they rushed at each other for a head-on collision; the same trick was used for a collision of two men dressed in helmets and superhero capes riding in shopping carts. A third segment showed a Catholic priest (or someone they claimed was one), a Jewish rabbi (or someone…) and Lou Ferrigno, the former actor who played the Hulk on TV during the '70s, riding exercise bikes and competing against each other to see who can keep their speed above 20 mph longest.
As you can see, the level of intellect is not very high here.
The interesting thing is that these segments don't feature any Asian elements except for the Obnoxious Announcer and recurring characters including a bald-headed man in a martial arts gi and an older man in a suit whom I assume to be a "salaryman," who appear between the sketches to yell variations of "banzai!" These ridiculous setups could be juvenile (and less funny) versions of stunts pulled during the '70s heyday of the very British Monty Python comedy group.
But the rest of the show is profoundly disturbing for me: One segment had three Caucasian women in whiteface and garish phony kimonos standing side-by-side. Each parted their kimonos to show their panties - two wore white and one wore red. Then they began spinning around and changing places while the Obnoxious Announcer urging viewers to "pray-soo you bett-soo now!" Like the old shell game, you had to guess which geisha had the red panties. This skit feeds into a couple of very old-fashioned racial stereotypes at the same time that it slaps traditional Japanese culture in the face: That Japanese (and Asian) women are exotic and sexual creatures, and that all Japanese look alike.
I felt my stomach clenching as I watched in increasing horror, anger and embarrassment.
Other segments with a Japanese "slant" (hell, I might as well pile on, right?) featured two recurring members of the show's cast: Mr. Shakehands Man is a fake reporter who shakes hands with celebrities while asking inane questions to see how long it takes them to pull away, and Lady One Question asks one question of a celebrity and makes them squirm by just looking at them after the question's answered, until they pull away. The Obnoxious Announcer, of course, screams at the viewer to place their bets on how many seconds it will take.
 The show is full of flashy kanji graphics. |
On one level, these two characters are benign, except that their oddball behavior tends to cement stereotypes Americans already have about Asians and their language barriers and mysterious behavior. It's already irritating enough for Asian Americans to face well-meaning but dumb questions like "My, you speak English so well" without having a national network inviting viewers to expect us to all be weirdo foreigners.
One consolation I have is that there is a grassroots movement of people (not just Asians) who find this dreck objectionable who are communicating via e-mail ad on various Web sites including Fox's own discussion boards for "Banzai!" and urging the network to pull the plug on the show. Ironically - and amazingly, given their decision to air "Banzai!" - Fox recently agreed not to air a series of Charlie Chan movies after APA groups protested that those films presented Asian stereotypes (and didn't even star an Asian, with white actors playing the Chinese detective with a fake accent). So if the reaction is strong enough, the network may pull "Banzai!"
Either way, another consolation is that "Banzai!" is a summer drop-in, which means unless it becomes a huge hit for some reason, it'll go away with the mosquitoes and weeds when fall ushers in the new shows. But then, I guess I shouldn't overestimate the taste of the average Fox network viewer….
As for the guy who serves as the Obnoxious Announcer, whom the network says is Asian (when the show briefly aired on the USA Network, it was a Caucasian actor speaking in an accent), he should be ashamed of himself. He's managed to make a laughingstock of himself and Asians everywhere to the level of ridicule practiced for decades until the past two decades, just for a few bucks.
Banzai, my ass.
You can visit
Fox's Web site for "Banzai!"
and comment about the show.